Quantum Navigator Gyroscope

In this fully funded PhD project you will build a gyroscope for a quantum navigator using nanophotonic components to control, interact and measure the motion of atoms using light. Laser ring gyroscopes are presently the best classical rotation sensors but are expensive, large, heavy and not sufficiently accurate for most navigation applications. This project aims to demonstrate the first gyroscope combining both light from lasers with atoms for a quantum Sagnac gyroscope that is predicted to have at least 100 times less drift uncertainty than the best laser ring gyroscopes.

Society navigates using satnavs in vehicles and mobile phones but the nano-Watt signals are easy to jam, spoof and do not work inside buildings, under the ocean or underground. Resilient navigation without satellites uses dead reckoning where the current position from a previously determined reference is calculated using time, velocity, acceleration and rotation measurements. The UK Government recommends all position, navigation and timing for national security and critical national infrastructure can operate for ≥3 days without updated references from satellites. Whilst atomic clocks are available which can achieve satellite accuracy after 3 days, there are no commercial gyroscopes that can meet the Government's requirements.

The work will be supervised by Prof Douglas Paul as part of a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies aiming to deliver a mobile phone sized quantum navigator. The work will include designing devices, being trained to fabricate devices in the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre combined characterisation of the devices using electronic and optical techniques. The successful student will be working in a research group with access to the top researchers in academia and industry from the UK Quantum Technology programme and internationally through collaborations.

The highly motivated student should have a first class or upper second class undergraduate degree in physics, engineering, photonics, nanotechnology, materials science or an equivalent degree from a reputable university. They will design and simulate gyroscopes, fabricate them in the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and undertake testing to determine the performance. The skills acquired during the PhD will make the student highly employable in the developing quantum technology field globally where there is already a significant and growing demand for suitably qualified expert people. Previous PhD graduate students of Prof Paul hold a range of research fellowships, senior academic positions as well as senior positions in companies including ARM, Kelvin Nanotechnology, Sivers Photonics, Dixons Carphone, patent lawyers and multiple financial investment companies.

How to Apply: Please refer to the following website for details on how to apply:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/.

How to Apply: Please refer to the following website for details on how to apply:
https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/electronicsnanoscale/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/applyonline/?CAREER=PGR&PLAN_CODES=HH56A-7201

A Chip-scale Optical Atomic Clock

The project aims to combining miniature diode lasers, photonic integrated circuits and MEMS vapour cells with atoms in a gas to develop a chip-scale optical atomic clock. By locking the frequency of a narrow-linewidth diode laser output to an atomic transition by shining the laser light through a gas of atoms, the frequency can be made extremely stable which provides long term timing accuracy. A frequency comb is then used to take the stable optical signal and down-convert this to an electrical output at MHz or GHz through the beat frequency from interference defined by the path length of an microring optical resonator. The project aims to develop microfabricated versions of all these components and heterogeneously integrate them together into a single-chip optical atomic clock.

Most of our timing that society depends on for running critical national infrastructure (utilities, communications, navigation, etc...) comes from GPS satellite signals but these are easy to jam or spoof with a potential loss of £5.2Bn to the UK economy over 3 days if they were disrupted as stated in the UK National Risk Register. Hold over clocks with sufficient accuracy and stability are therefore required but at present these are too expensive and too large. While far cheaper chip scale atomic clocks are commercially available, their accuracy is only about 1 microsecond/day whilst many critical national infrastructure applications requires 1 nanosecond/day accuracy. Recently optical atomic clocks have been demonstrated in laboratories which have nanosecond/day accuracies but to date have been large and composed of discrete components on optics benches. This project aims to reduce the size, weight, power and cost of such optical atomic clocks for practical applications including navigation, telecoms and utility distribution.

The work will be under the supervision of Prof Douglas Paul who presently holds a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies with the aim of developing cold atom atomic clocks, rotation sensors and accelerometers that can form a quantum navigator which could fit inside a mobile phone. The work will include being trained in the micro- and nano-fabrication of devices in the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre combined with simulation and full characterisation of the devices using electronic and optical techniques. The successful student will have access to well equipped laboratories with a supporting group of researchers in complementary fields and the opportunities to present their research at international conferences. The project is in collaboration with a number of UK companies aiming to build a supply chain for practical optical atomic clocks.

In completing the PhD project, you will develop a range of skills that will enable you to have a career in either academia or industry. This will include; nano-fabrication, micro-fabrication, MEMS, vacuum systems, optics, integrated photonics, atomic physics and a range of simulation techniques. Previous PhD graduate students of Prof Paul hold a range of research fellowships, senior academic positions as well as senior positions in companies including ARM, Lockheed-Martin, Kelvin Nanotechnology, Sivers Photonics, Dixons Carphone, patent lawyers and multiple financial investment companies.

Requirements
The ideal candidate will have a background in physics, engineering, photonics, nanotechnology, materials science or chemistry. Background knowledge of semiconductors and optics / photonics would be beneficial but not essential. No prior nano-fabrication experience is required - you will be fully trained during the PhD. You must be self-motivated, have good interpersonal skills, and be interested in conducting interdisciplinary work that combines theory, simulation, fabrication and characterisation.
If you would like to apply, please contact Prof Paul

You can also find details of the application process at:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/.

Quantum LiDAR

The James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow has a fully paid PhD scholarships (both fees and stipend for any UK or EC national) available for a quantum lidar project The quantum lidar project is linked to the UK Quantum Technology Hub for Quantum Enhanced Imaging (QuantiC) and an InnovateUK industrial programme developing lidar systems for automotive vehicles with partners including Toshiba Research Europe, IQE, Thales and Jaguar Land Rover. The successful candidates will be trained to use the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre, a 1500 m2 quasi-industrial cleanroom with over £35M of processing tools.
Successful candidates are expected to have a first or upper second class degree from a reputable university in physics, electrical and electronic engineering, photonics, materials science or a suitably aligned degree. All the projects include design, modelling, fabrication and characterisation of photonic devices and systems. The students will also be expected to fully engaged with the UK Quantum Technology Programme and Hubs.
Quantum lidar / rangefinder: Glasgow has recently demonstrated world leading Ge on Si single photon avalanche detectors (SPADs) at 1500 nm wavelength with 38% single photon detection efficiency (Nature Comms. 10, 1086 (2019)). This project aims to developed waveguide coupled Ge on Si SPADs predicted to have >70% efficiency integrated into an interferometer with Si microring entangle photon sources (Nature Comms. 6, 7948 (2015)) to enable chip scale quantum lidar / rangefinders to be produced and tested.

How to Apply: Please refer to the following website for details on how to apply: https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/electronicsnanoscale/.

https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/applyonline/?CAREER=PGR&PLAN_CODES=HH56A-7201